Emma Watson talks Octopus Jam at The Perks of Being a Wallflower Press Conference

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a funny and touching coming-of-age story based on the beloved best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a moving tale of love, loss, fear and hope-and the unforgettable friends that help us through life.

With The Perks of Being a Wallflower opening in cinemas on Wednesday to rave reviews, The Fan Carpet's Marc Jason Ali was in attendance at the Mayfair Hotel, where the lovely Emma Watson talked about her new coming of age drama with Edith Bowman moderating.



The film reminds me of things like The Breakfast Club and other classic films like that, do you think that's what Chris was aiming for?

Definitely, when we first met, he had this sort of bible, all of his ideas from the book and he knew exactly how he wanted to shoot every shot and there were tonnes of John Hughes references in there. He really wanted it to feel quirky and real but to also have that classic feel about it, and that's why he didn't go too far on the nineties garb; it was there, you could feel it, but he didn't go crazy.



In preparation, did you watch any of those kinds of films?

Yeah, I watched Dazed and Confused and he had me watch Harold Moore, and The Breakfast Club and all of those, partly for accent and partly for feel.



Did you read the book first or the script first?

I read the script first and the book second, my American friends berated me saying 'you are so far behind, how can you not have read it?' but I took to the book quickly and realised there is an amazing cult following of people who care about it.

I was in Pittsburgh and this girl came up to me with a tattoo of one of Steve's quotes and that was when I realised that this was kind of a big deal, again really putting pressure on myself to get it right.

It's amazing and nice to know that we can't go too far wrong, since he wrote the book and is directed the film, even if it's not exactly the same; and it's never exactly the same as what's written in the book, but the spirit would be the same.